FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FRANK VOGEL - PAGE 4

On a sunny Midwestern afternoon made for strolling across a campus, Dwyane Wade went back to college. He drove to see his former Marquette coach, Tom Crean, who's now at Indiana University in Bloomington. They talked. They joked. They reminisced. It was the best thing Wade could have done on Friday's off-day, finding his old coach and reminding himself who he is and what he believes. At one point, Crean told Wade, "You've seen everything. There's nothing you've been through that you haven't seen before.

The Indiana Pacers are along for the ride. They seemingly wouldn't have it any other way. While the focus Friday was on how the Miami Heat are trailing 2-1 in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, there has been little discussion of what the Pacers have done to seize that lead. To a degree, the injury absence of Heat power forward Chris Bosh and the Game 3 disappearance of Heat guard Dwyane Wade have overshadowed Indiana's considerable accomplishment.

Observations from Sunday night's 114-96 playoff victory over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse: LeBron James broke out the post-up game and broke apart any suggestion that Paul George could lock him down one on one. Figure on a summer with the weights being George's next offseason priority. Then again, LeBron seemed to derive his greatest pleasure when he was able to take Lance Stephenson into the post. Dwyane Wade had a hop in his step after escaping a suspension, including a second-quarter move at and over Roy Hibbert.

Now, the Indiana Pacers know what it feels like to be the Miami Heat. The Pacers talked plenty about how they wanted what the Heat had accomplished. The national television games. The postseason accolades. And, mostly, the championships. For half the season, the Pacers were up to the challenge. Then they began to realize it wasn't easy as expected. The Pacers have lost eight of 12 since March 19, but still find themselves in position to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Any doubts about whether this would be a competitive series quickly were extinguished. What we had Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena was a war of attrition. The Miami Heat emerged with the 95-86 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the opening game of this best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series, yet might have emerged as the biggest losers. For the Pacers, the attrition issues will be reset by the time the teams take the court for Tuesday's Game 2 at AmericanAirlines Arena, their Sunday losses merely the result of rotation-numbing foul trouble.

Indiana Pacers forward Paul George had the look of a player fully capable of competing in a playoff basketball game. On Thursday, he was seen hitting consecutive 3-pointers on the Pacers practice court. He then made various mid-range shots off the dribble. Finally, he completed a reverse dunk just before the team huddled at halfcourt. It appeared he was recovered from the concussion sustained against the Miami Heat Tuesday in the Eastern Conference finals but his status will likely remain unknown for a few days.

- It hasn't exactly been a memorable playoff run for Evan Turner just yet. After averaging 14 points during the regular season, the Indiana forward has seen his postseason average drop to a meager 3.5 points. He missed the first game of the Eastern Conference finals while battling strep throat and was inactive for Game 2 this past Tuesday. Before Game 3 on Saturday, Turner said physically, he's feeling better after days of rest and he's ready to come in and do whatever coach Frank Vogel asks of him, including taking on the challenge of guarding LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The maintenance programs? The midseason malaise? The two losses to the Indiana Pacers? Mere bumps on the road to Monday night. The Miami Heat are in sole possession of first place in the NBA East for the first time this season. The No. 1 seed in the conference is now theirs to lose. With the Pacers losing by 26 at home to the San Antonio Spurs, the Heat completed their staggered ascent to the top of the conference with a 93-83 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena, now percentage points ahead of the Pacers, with the Heat at 51-22 (.699)

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has always preferred to keep the focus on his team. What other teams are doing is irrelevant and that includes the Indiana Pacers, who are in the middle of a late-season slump. The Pacers have lost seven of 10 as they prepare for their final regular season meeting with the Heat Friday. The Heat and Pacers are locked in a fight for the top seed in the East. As of Tuesday, the Heat held a one-game lead. "I really will not waste one zero of my thought on what's going on in their camp," Spoelstra said.